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Resumo:Ao mesmo tempo que a seleção detalhada dos conteúdos direciona as aulas de Bioquímica aos interesses de cada curso de graduação, muitos assuntos são inevitavelmente excluídos. A procura por disciplinas não obrigatórias no currículo mínimo que abordem temas de Bioquímica não contemplados nas disciplinas de Bioquímica Básica aponta para o grande interesse dos estudantes por complementação na sua formação [1]. Na ocasião do oferecimento de um curso sobre Bioquímica da Nutrição a distância em 2001 e 2003, foi feito um levantamento de interesse pelo curso, além de uma contínua avaliação da satisfação dos alunos frente às atividades desenvolvidas. A análise detalhada dos interesses e das críticas e sugestões ajudou a verificar os anseios dos diferentes profissionais em relação aos conteúdos da Bioquímica e suas aplicações. Dessa análise conclui-se que apesar dos alunos entrarem com interesse específico de aprofundamento nos conteúdos de suas áreas, o que promove maior satisfação é a interação e troca de informações -ainda que relativamente superficiais -com alunos e profissionais de outras formações. Cursos que visem aprofundamento específico de determinados assuntos devem, entretanto, ser oferecidos para públicos mais restritos, atendendo a pré-requisitos de conhecimento para que as discussões possam ser mais aprofundadas.Abstract:

Internet-based distance education seems to be an attractive alternative to offer courses dealing with specific topics that are not conveniently explored in undergraduate courses. This is a good way to provide access to the recent and updated discoveries in this research area and to reach people who could not take the classes in the traditional mode. Using the communication advantages available via the Internet, we adapted the course "Biochemistry of Nutrition," first offered as a summer course to be entirely carried out at distance. The adaptation explored the use of online tools such as E-mail communication among students and teachers, computer conferencing in small groups to discuss specific subjects, and texts and software downloads to be used as main references. Graduate students had their first real experience as teachers, which proved to be very productive for both the development of the Internet version of the course and their integration with undergraduate students.

Obesity has been recognized as a worldwide public health problem. It significantly increases the chances of developing several diseases, including Type II diabetes. The roles of insulin and leptin in obesity involve reactions that can be better understood when they are presented step by step. The aim of this work was to design software with data from some of the most recent publications on obesity, especially those concerning the roles of insulin and leptin in this metabolic disturbance. The most notable characteristic of this software is the use of animations representing the cellular response together with the presentation of recently discovered mechanisms on the participation of insulin and leptin in processes leading to obesity. The software was field tested in the Biochemistry of Nutrition web-based course. After using the software and discussing its contents in chatrooms, students were asked to answer an evaluation survey about the whole activity and the usefulness of the software within the learning process. The teaching assistants (TA) evaluated the software as a tool to help in the teaching process. The students' and TAs' satisfaction was very evident and encouraged us to move forward with the software development and to improve the use of this kind of educational tool in biochemistry classes.

A brief review about the tools and methods used in biochemical education, published in scientific journals and congresses abstracts, shows a wide distribution of different resources used to support biochemical classes. Lab activities, problem based learning (PBL) approach, educational software and the Internet are some of these resources. The Internet has been quickly introduced to the classrooms and provides a wide research area to be explored in different fields of knowledge, such as Biochemical Education. This work focuses on the expectations and the motivation in a Distance Education (DE) course and on advantages and disadvantages considered before and after taking part in a distance discipline. The data were collected from a survey available on our Biochemical Education Website, answered by people interested in Biochemical Education courses from many Brazilian states. Some of the advantages quoted before the course, are: flexibility in time and place to access the discipline; possibility to access new information; use of new technology. The quoted disadvantages emphasize technical problems and the lack of interaction among the participants. The afterward evaluation showed that the strategies used aiming at improving interaction were efficient. DE was considered a good learning system for deepening knowledge by people with different profiles. The evaluation is considered the most sensitive point of this kind of educational system and must be carefully analyzed. In fact, the evaluation of the impact of new technologies in learning processes is one of the biggest challenges for educators nowadays. The last challenge for educators and evaluators involved on online learning projects is using the Internet as better interaction tool and measuring its efficiency.